Someone is considered to have obesity if their body mass index (BMI) is 30 or higher.

Body mass index (BMI) is based on your height and weight. For people under the age of 20, BMI is also based on age. You can find your BMI using a BMI calculator.

For example, an adult who’s 6 feet tall and 180 pounds has a BMI of 24.4, which is considered a healthy weight. But someone who’s 5 foot 4 inches and 180 pounds has a BMI of 30.9, which is means they are considered to have obesity.

 

 Weight Categories

BMI is a tool for getting an idea of how much body fat someone has. But it can be flawed. It was made using averages taken from people from European. Because of that, it doesn’t work well for everyone. For example, it doesn’t work well for most people from east Asia. It also doesn’t work well for some professional athletes.

Talk to your doctor about your weight. They’ll be able to tell you if you have a healthy amount of body fat or if it might be healthier to lose some weight.

 

Obesity requires as a BMI of 30 or higher